On Saturday, January 2nd, WA Boys’ Hockey took on the Chelmsford Lions in a late afternoon showdown at Skate 3. The game ultimately ended with a final score of 5-1 in favor of Chelmsford.

The game started out with heavy pressure from the Chelmsford offense as they had several scoring chances. However, senior goalie Brian Warner denied all of their opportunities. Chelmsford also had a few power play opportunities, but WA stood strong on defense and kept the game scoreless.

The Ghosts struggled to find many scoring opportunities in the opening period, but they dominated in the physical play. The Ghosts pounded the Lions hit after hit, which resulted in a few possession changes in favor of WA.

Finally, in the closing minutes of the first period, the Ghosts went onto the power play. The Lions’ penalty kill proved too strong and eventually they found the back of the net, giving them a 1-0 lead with about forty seconds left in the period. Both teams went into their locker rooms after the period with the Lions up 1-0.

After a quick intermission, the Ghosts came out looking strong. About a minute and a half into the period, they had their first real scoring chance. After having the puck all alone in the slot, senior forward Mike Mulligan labeled a shot that was headed for the top corner of the net. He was robbed of this sure goal when Chelmsford’s goalie reached up and made a great glove save.

This chance gave WA more energy, which led to a few opportunities to get back into the game. All of these chances were put to rest by Chelmsford’s outstanding defense. WA also had a few more opportunities to knot up the game on a couple of power plays, but the Lion’s penalty kill denied all  incoming scoring chances.

The Lions later increased their lead with about seven minutes remaining in the period when they scored on their power play to make the score 2-0. This lead later jumped to three goals with two minutes to go in the period when the Lions made another shot.

After two periods, Chelmsford was up 3-0 on the Ghosts.

Once again, the Ghosts came out the locker room for the third period with a lot of energy. About four minutes into the third period, they cut down the Chelmsford lead with a wrist shot goal from senior defenseman Alex Flanagan. The Lions quickly responded however; with an energy burst of their own about a minute later, and scored to extend their lead to 4-1.

The rest of the game was somewhat even, with neither side generating a lot of offense. It looked like the game would end with a final score of 4-1, but with about three seconds left, the Lions scored one last time. The horn sounded with a final score of 5-1 in favor of Chelmsford.

The Ghosts will travel to Waltham on on Wednesday, January 6th, for their next game.